Julian Jones: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?

With Netflix’s ‘Untold: Shooting Guards’ delving into how a gambling dispute between two NBA athletes led to them drawing guns on each other in the locker room, we get a documentary unlike any other. That’s because it incorporates not only archival footage and exclusive interviews with those close to the matter but also the way one of these players’ paths subsequently turned around for the worse. However, in the end, it was an innocent Atlanta native, Julian Chairé Jones, who lost her life in arguably one of the worst ways imaginable in the summer of 2011.

Julian Jones Was Killed in a Drive-by Shooting

At the age of 22, Julian Jones (lovingly nicknamed Peepeye) was reportedly leading a good, stable life around the Southeast Atlanta, Georgia area, after years of struggle, when everything was snatched away from her in the blink of an eye. The truth is her early years were far from ordinary, considering she and her brother were raised by adoptive parents, and then she became pregnant at the age of 13/14, yet she was surrounded by love. In fact, by the time she was a young adult, she had her caring biological mother, affectionate adoptive parents June Woods and Virgil Pinkney, kind sibling Christopher, devoted fiancé, Ha’Rel Butler Sr., and her four young children in her corner.

According to reports, Julian’s children – Jacori Jones, Aza’Rel Butler, Jha’Riel Butler, and Ha’Rel Butler Jr. – were between the ages of 8 and newborn in 2011, so sadly, they all grew up without her. After all, on the evening of August 19, the family woman was just outside her 2911 Macon Drive home when a Black Chevrolet Tahoe pulled up and suddenly opened fire without warning. She was hit multiple times in the leg, and although a witness dialed 911 immediately as the vehicle sped away, it was already too late. Unfortunately, she died at a nearby hospital while undergoing surgery.

A Former NBA Athlete Was Identified as Julian Jones’ Killer Early On

It was during the 911 call itself that former point/shooting guard Javaris Crittenton was accused of being Julian’s shooter, with the witness asserting he knew who he was owing to his NBA past. The latter even went as far as to spell out the athlete’s last name, resulting in him promptly becoming a suspect owing to how strong the tip was – the witness was completely confident in his claim. The fact that it soon came to light that the then 24-year-old had rented a Black Chevrolet Tahoe from a local company less than a mile away from his home just a few days before did not help him either.

Investigators also discovered that this same kind of vehicle was also connected to another shooting that happened just 5 days prior to the fateful day at 50 Mount Zion, where Javaris was often seen. That’s because this is the area he was openly investigating on his own after having been robbed at gunpoint in April of the same year – he was looking for his alleged robbers in the hopes of seeking revenge. It turned out that one of his alleged robbers, Trontavious Stephens, was the athlete’s intended target that night, but he ended up mistakenly hitting Julian too, and while the former survived, the latter didn’t.

According to reports, it was mere days later that the Atlanta Police Department issued a murder warrant against Javaris since they believed they had all the necessary evidence required. Then, on August 29, the Atlanta Office of the FBI also issued an arrest warrant against him on the federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, as he had bought a one-way ticket to Los Angeles on August 24. The FBI office even issued an announcement stating that if anyone has any information on his whereabouts, they should contact them or their local law enforcement agencies immediately, as he could be dangerous.

Javaris Crittenton Ultimately Pled Guilty to the Lesser Charge of Manslaughter

Ultimately, that same day, on August 29, Javaris was arrested at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, while waiting to board a flight back to Atlanta. As per his lawyer, he was returning to surrender himself to custody, but because this had not been communicated to them before, they officially extradited him to stand trial on the charge of murder. He initially tried to deny culpability for his actions, so his bail was set at an astounding $230,000, but he managed to pay it and was released under some restrictions. However, it wasn’t until April 2, 2013, that he and his cousin, Douglas Gamble, the driver of his vehicle, were officially indicted on 12 counts in connection with both the August shootings.

These counts included one count each of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, giving false statements, attempted murder, and participation in criminal street gang activity. In the end, on April 29, 2015, shortly before his trial was to commence, Javaris pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of one count of voluntary manslaughter with a weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm. He was subsequently sentenced to 23 years in prison, but a deal was later struck with the then-District Attorney that enabled him to be released after merely a decade. In other words, he was released from prison on April 21, 2023, under supervision.

However, it’s imperative to note that Julian’s family was blindsided by the convicted killer’s release, as they had reportedly not been kept in the loop regarding the deal. They are hurt and heartbroken by it since they do not believe real justice was served, yet they are now seemingly doing their best to move forward while just keeping Julian’s legacy alive in their hearts. Her adoptive mother has since even stated that while she has forgiven Javaris because that’s what her faith has guided her towards, she will never forget what he did, especially because he took away the mother of 4 young kids.